Baltimore Orioles Lose Infielder Jorge Mateo to Injured List With Dislocated Elbow

Jorge Mateo suffered a left elbow subluxation when he collided with Gunnar Henderson on Tuesday night, so the Baltimore Orioles decided to call up top prospect Connor Norby again.

Jul 14, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles second base Jorge Mateo (3) throws to first base during the fifth inning against the New York Yankees at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | James A. Pittman-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have placed infielder Jorge Mateo on the 10-day injured list with a left elbow subluxation, retroactive to July 24, the team announced Thursday morning.

Mateo left Tuesday night's game against the Miami Marlins following a gruesome collision with shortstop Gunnar Henderson on a grounder in the third inning. Both players went for the ball, but Mateo's arm got stuck under Henderson's leg and he was forced to leave the contest.

While manager Brandon Hyde said initial X-rays came back negative, further testing and an MRI on Wednesday showed that Mateo had suffered a partially dislocated elbow.

"It's really, really unfortunate," Hyde said Wednesday night. "We feel terrible for him. But we're gonna miss him."

As expected, the Orioles awarded Mateo's vacant roster spot to infielder Connor Norby, who was officially recalled from Triple-A Norfolk after joining the taxi squad on Wednesday. Norby, the No. 5 prospect in Baltimore's farm system, made his MLB debut when Mateo hit the injured list last month.

The Orioles also optioned right-handed pitcher Chayce McDermott to Triple-A Norfolk and recalled right-handed pitcher Bryan Baker from Triple-A Norfolk to round out their transactions on Thursday.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/JeZFP7OgbT

— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) July 25, 2024

As for Mateo, he has now landed on the injured list twice this season, getting inadvertently hurt by his own teammates both times.

Back on June 2, Mateo got hit in the head by Cedric Mullins' bat after he bent over in the on-deck circle. Mateo was forced out of the contest, and he wound up hitting the 7-day concussion injured list shortly after.

Mateo is batting .229 with a .668 OPS through 68 games this season, outpacing his figures from both 2022 and 2023. The 29-year-old has recorded five home runs, 18 RBI and 10 stolen bases so far in 2024, as well as a 0.8 WAR.

It remains to be seen how much he can add to those totals, though, as his latest elbow injury could sideline him for an extended period of time.

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